


Mr. Brightside

by ziamfcks



Category: One Direction
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - High School, Bromance, F/M, Sad, slight sex scene, the killers song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-23
Updated: 2013-06-23
Packaged: 2017-12-15 20:44:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/853868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziamfcks/pseuds/ziamfcks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry never meant to fall in love; but it happened anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mr. Brightside

Harry had never been the kind to party. He wasn’t a nerd or social recluse; he simply didn’t enjoy the loud party scene. The sweaty bodies, the drunken dancers, and people so drunk they were nearly vomiting all over him before he’d even made it two steps into the party. He thought very differently, though, after he met her.

His best mate, Louis, had convinced him to come to the party at his friend Danny’s house. Harry had spoken to Danny a few times, but he wouldn’t consider himself to be close with him. He tried to argue that with Louis, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. And at last, Harry sighed and let Louis drag him from his bedroom and into the party.

He stood close to the wall with a red plastic cup in his hand. It only had water in it but Harry liked to have something in his hands so he wouldn’t just stand with his fingers shoved in his pockets or have them fiddling with his phone. He surveyed the room around him. There were girls with dresses so short you’d think it was a glorified shirt. Boys were grinding with girls in the middle of the room and for a second, Harry thought back to last year’s prom. It was exactly the same, except this time, everyone was drinking. Well, nearly everyone. He looked across the room, through the bodies of teenagers and suddenly, he saw her. 

She was beautiful, that much was blatantly obvious. She wore a white crop top and low waisted shorts. It was modest enough that everything was covered, but plenty left exposed for the world- or more realistically - the party to see. Her hair flowed freely down her back and her smile seemed to brighten the whole room. It seemed cliché, but he felt like when he looked at her the entire party seemed to blur. And then she looked at him.

He felt his heart stutter and a curtain of hair fell over her eyes. She shyly pushed it away and gave him a small grin. She tilted her head in a motion that seemed to say ‘come here.’ He looked around, but he was the only around. She nodded again and he pushed himself off the wall and maneuvered his way through the throng of dancing bodies. He stood in front of her now, towering over her small frame. He also realized that despite not knowing many people there, he knew she wasn’t from his school. She couldn’t be. He would have recognized a girl as beautiful as this.

She looked up at him through her lashes and said hello. He greeted her back and she motioned to go into the backyard to get away from the commotion. They quickly made it to the outside deck and stood by the balcony. He quickly learned her name and used the silly pick up line….that it was a “pretty name for a pretty girl.” She blushed and giggled just as she was supposed to and he felt a smile tug on the corners of his lips.

They talked for what seemed like hours and they ended up learning how very similar they both were. He was a shy outcast and she had never learned to fit in. They both made do with what they had, though the deep rooted family problems-mainly father issues- were both there in each of them. Harry hadn’t every felt this connected with anyone since he’d met Louis, and it hardly counted considering they were five when they met, and the deepest connection they’d shared had been ice cream.

Harry looked into the girl’s blue-green eyes and melted. He felt at home with her and all he wanted right at that moment was to kiss her. He watched as her lips moved quickly as she told an animated story about a memory of her childhood. And suddenly and without thought, Harry quickly tilted her chin to silence her with his lips. She stood still for a second, taken by surprise, but swiftly began to move her lips against his. His hands rested on her hips and hers wrapped around his neck but she broke the kiss when her friend came out telling her they had to go. She left with a sad smile and a peck on the cheek. He watched her go and sat on the porch until the early hours of the morning when finally, Louis drunkenly came out looking for him.

The next night Harry stayed in bed and stared at the ceiling. His mind was racing with thoughts of her. Her long hair, her smooth skin, her soft lips. He wanted, no needed, to see her again, but he knew that was unlikely. They hadn’t exchanged phone numbers and he silently smacked himself for it. He had felt so at home with her. It was easy to pretend that he’d known her forever. He thought of calling Louis and asking for his help, but that would come with endless teasing remarks and Harry didn’t want to think of that.

The problem was that he fell in love with her after that one kiss. Harry had gone to the party only with the hopes that Louis would get off his back. He hadn’t expected to leave the party having fallen in love with a stranger. So Harry decided to just try and forget about her, no matter how impossible the task seemed to be, because he was sure he could do it.

Throughout the next few weeks Louis invited him out to parties and Harry warily agreed. He could say he was going to the parties just for Louis’ sake, but it would be a lie. He hoped that if he went to as many parties as he could, it would increase his chance of seeing her. It didn’t.

He began to forget about the girl. Not completely, she was still always in the back of his mind, but he started to think of other things, teenage boy like things. The thoughts of football and how to beat Louis in Call of Duty entered his mind and as Harry had finally just started to forget about her- there she was.

He saw her with a short pink dress that flared out at the bottom, just long enough to cover her bum. She had a piece of hair twirled around her finger as she giggled at something the boy next to her had said. The word boy, however, was not an apt description for the person she was talking to. He was more man than boy, with his dark stubble running across his chin and neatly quiffed hair. He wasn’t lanky; he was slim. And maybe it was due to the cigarette poking from between his thin lips. Harry recognized the man as Zayn, a boy who had gone off to college. He had been a year ahead of Harry and although he hadn’t spoken to Zayn, Harry knew exactly who he was. Everyone did, really. He was a bad boy. He smoked under the bleachers and had sex with all the girls…at least those were the rumors.

Zayn took a drag and blew smoke above the girl’s head and she looked up at him. He wrapped his arm around her tiny waist and she clung to him willingly. He dipped his head to her ear and whispered something to her to which she nodded energetically. He led her to the front of the house and unlocked his car to help her into it. Harry looked away. He couldn’t stand watching the two be together.

Harry went into the house and grabbed a cup, filling it with beer. He quickly downed the drink and shook his head at the bitter taste. And suddenly, Louis came up behind him and clapped him on the back.

“How about something stronger to drink, yeah?” Louis asked in a strong Yorkshire accent. Harry nodded and handed him a cup. Louis added some vodka and cranberry juice to the cup and handed it back to his curly haired friend who downed it quickly. Harry swallowed the vile liquid and coughed and sputtered after he had drunk it. And still, Harry gave his cup to Louis again and motioned for him to fill it up. Louis’ eyebrows shot up, but he filled the cup anyway. Louis watched Harry carefully and he knew something was wrong, but he knew not to push Harry. Louis knew that Harry would open up in his own time.

After a few shots of vodka Harry was thoroughly shit-faced. He felt a weight lifted off of his shoulders and it seemed like all his cares were taken to the wind. He danced with girls who never knew he existed and he even felt like he was having fun. But she was still in the back of his mind. And because of that, he couldn’t fully relax- no matter how many drinks he had had.

Eventually, Louis dragged him from the crowd and helped him stumble into the car. On the way home Harry realized that he was not so much upset by what he saw as he was angry. She talked to him and he told her a lot of things that were hard for him. He revealed his secrets and she just shook him off for another guy. Harry balled up his fists in silent anger and Louis looked over at his best friend carefully. He touched Harry’s shoulder and Harry jerked away quickly, and as he looked to Louis, Harry realized how drunk he’d become. Louis’ eyes softened and he got out of the car. He moved to Harry’s side and carefully helped him to his feet. They stumbled into the house together and Louis helped him into bed.

Harry fell asleep within seconds, but Louis stayed awake just watching his friend. He stroked his hair quietly and looked down at him sadly.

Harry was unconscious, but he was dreaming. And while he dreams, he sees her. It wasn’t the first time she’s appeared in his dreams, but it was the first time she’s been with another guy. He sees her in the same outfit she wore that night as she keeps her hold on Zayn. They are out on the street and passing a cigarette between the two of them. She hails a cab for them and Zayn stubs out the cigarette with the toe of his boot. He opens up her door and they get in.

Harry doesn’t understand how it happened, but suddenly he is up in the bedroom with them. Zayn’s hands are pulling on her dress and suddenly she’s just in her underwear. Their lips are pressed together and his tongue is sliding along her lower lip as she tugs his belt off. He begins to unhook her bra and now her hand is on his bare chest. Harry doesn’t remember seeing it come off, but he supposes it happened while he fumed about them and was too distracted to notice. Zayn’s lips wrap around her nipple and she lets her head fall back as a moan escapes her lips. Her hands are tangled in his jet black hair and he takes her nipple in his teeth and bites lightly. Her moans fill the room and Harry wants to look away, but he just can’t.

He sees Zayn slip his hand into her panties and she smiles. He can’t take it anymore. He feels like he’s going to be sick.

And he was. Harry woke up in Louis’ bed and hurls into the bin that had been put beside it. Louis looked up groggily and groaned out as he saw what Harry had done. But Louis counted his lucky stars that everything made it into the bin. He got up slowly and went into the bathroom to get Harry some aspirin and a wet washcloth. And back in his bedroom, Louis sat on the edge of the bed and placed the cloth on Harry’s forehead as he gave him the aspirin. Harry whined softly and Louis moved his friend’s head into his lap.

“I loved her,” Harry whimpered as Louis stroked his hair. Louis nodded understandingly despite not really knowing who “her” was. He assumed she was important, but she couldn’t have been for very long since he had no memory of Harry ever mentioning her.

“I’m nothing compared to him,” Harry whispers.

“Who?” Louis asks.

“Zayn.” Harry replies softly, and Louis understands. The girl with Zayn that night had been Harry’s girl.

“Don’t be a downer Harry. There will be other girls.”

Harry shook his head and winced from the throbbing pain in his brain. “None like her.”

Louis rubbed Harry’s head for a while until he heard the soft snores echoing throughout the room again. He grimaced and gently moved Harry’s head to the pillow. He stared at him for a few seconds before going to lie back down on the floor. All he really wanted now was for his friend to not be so pessimistic. He wanted him to be Mr. Brightside.


End file.
